This article appears as part of the Unspun: Scottish Politics newsletter.

For Labour these are ‘strange days indeed’, as John Lennon once sang, yet they may come to define the fortunes of the government at Westminster.

Amid all the ongoing factionalism, briefings and rows, there is clearly determination, perhaps a desperation, to shift the polls back in Labour’s favour in the face of the growing threat from Reform UK’s right-wing populism.

This is the lens through which we must view the actions of Ministers. Take the plans revealed by Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, aping much of the hardline Danish model on immigration and asylum – which have both appalled and delighted her colleagues.

While it's hardly surprising that a rebellion on this issue seems to be growing, it is next week’s Budget which is likely to be of greater........

© Herald Scotland